Jordan rejects US proposal for confederation with the Palestinians

Abbas would reportedly agree to confederation if it includes Israel; Jordan rejects Trump Administration efforts; Abbas: I support a triple confederation with Jordan and with Israel. I asked if the Israelis would agree to the offer.

Jordan rejected a proposal by the Trump Administration for a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation as part of a peace deal with Israel.

A spokesman for the Jordanian government, Jumana Ghuneimat, confirmed its rejection on Sunday, adding that “Jordan’s positions is firm and clear regarding the Palestinian issue- a two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly claimed the Palestinians would accept such a deal if Israel were part of the confederation.

In a meeting in Ramallah on Sunday with an Israeli left-wing organization, Abbas addressed the Trump Administrations’ efforts for a peace deal, what President Trump has referred to as the “Deal of the Century”. He stated “I support a triple confederation with Jordan and with Israel. I asked if the Israelis would agree to the offer.”

Abbas reportedly stated that in his four meetings with President Trump, the president “favors the idea of a demilitarized Palestinian state with NATO providing security”.

During next month’s UN General Assembly, the Palestinians recently announced they will present an alternative plan to the Trump Administration’s “Deal of the Century”.

Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad Maliki, reported that Abbas will address the UN and reiterate the Palestinians’ “categorical rejection” of the Trump Administration’s plan. Malki claimed “The Palestinians will provide alternatives to what this US administration is doing based on force and the policy of bullying led by the US president.”

He added, “There can be no peace without East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, without resolving the refugees’ issue in all its aspects as per United Nations Resolution 194 and before recognizing that all Israeli colonial settlements are illegal.”

These developments follow the United States government’s announcement that it will stop its funding of the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians). The United States has been the main contributor in aid to the agency for over a decade, the Trump Administration announcing its cut of $200 million last week and $65 million in January of this year. Shortly after, the Palestinians announced they will lead a campaign, headed by Jordan, to gain financial support for the UNRWA.

The United States also plans to officially reject the UNRWA’s definition of Palestinian refugees, combatting the inflated number of Palestinian refugees claimed by the United Nations. Of the UN’s claim of over 5.3 million Palestinian refugees, only half a million would be recognized.

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